


The Burdened Vessel

by lit_chick08



Category: Veronica Mars (TV)
Genre: Challenge Response, F/M, Pre-Series, Sexual Experimentation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-28
Updated: 2013-07-28
Packaged: 2017-12-21 14:56:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/901610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lit_chick08/pseuds/lit_chick08
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Veronica needs a favor only Logan can help her with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Burdened Vessel

**Author's Note:**

> originally written for the Anchors Away challenge at vm_library on LJ.

**Everybody Needs a Helping Hand**

Veronica Mars could not ever remember a time that she had been at Logan Echolls’s mansion without Duncan or Lilly Kane with her. She and Logan were friends, that was true; but that friendship was more because he was her boyfriend’s best friend and her best friend’s boyfriend than anything else. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Logan, because she did. It was just that the only things they had ever really had in common were Duncan and Lilly.

But he and Lilly were off-again this week, and Veronica was now in a panic after her conversation with her BFF today. Duncan and Lilly had invited her for the Kane family vacation at their house on Catalina, complete with yacht ride to the island and God knows how many other privileges that middle-class Veronica would never experience if she _weren’t_ friends with the Kanes. And it was as Veronica was discussing how excited she was to go with them that Lilly had dropped the bomb: Duncan was expecting for he and Veronica to leave Catalina with their virginity long gone. Duncan, who hadn’t tried to even touch her under her bra, was now having dreams of cherry popping and Veronica was panicking.

It wasn’t that Veronica was afraid to have sex; no, she thought sex was a good thing when you were ready and knew what you were doing. But the thing was, she had no idea if she was ready and she _definitely_ had no clue what she was doing. And that was why Veronica Mars, always a problem solver, had decided to enlist Logan for her cause.

“I need your help with something,” Veronica blurted out the second Logan opened the door of the pool house, instantly kicking herself for her verbal diarrhea.

Logan arched an eyebrow, skepticism and amusement written all over his face. “ _My_ help? Whatever could Veronica Mars, honor student, daddy’s little girl, and all-American girl, need _me_ for? What would I know that you don’t?”

Bracing herself with strength she wasn’t sure she had possessed before this moment, she brazenly replied, “Sex.”

Logan’s jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”

Now flush with embarrassment, Veronica stuttered, “I’m going on vacation with Duncan and Lilly, and Lilly…Lilly said…well, Duncan wants to have sex. And I’ve never…I need to know how to…do it.”

His thoughts scattered, all Logan could manage was, “Duncan’s a virgin too.”

Wishing that he would invite her in so that the entire neighborhood would not be witness to this display, she sighed, “I know, but Duncan…has experience from when he was with Shelley. I don’t know how to do…well, anything.”

“He won’t care.”

“I will!” she shrieked before catching herself. Taking a calming breath, she continued, “I don’t like doing things I don’t know how to do. I know you know hot do stuff, what you like girls to do. If you tell me what would impress _you_ , then it’ll impress Duncan.”

Unsure whether or not to be offended or disturbed, Logan simply asked, “What makes you think I’d know?”

Knowing that he was trying to scare her off, Veronica stated, “Lilly talks. She said…you’re the best.”

Venom dripping from every syllable, he growled, “And she definitely has enough to compare me to.”

Not wanting to discuss her philandering best friend, she pressed, “Will you help me?”

“I don’t know what you want, V. Should I draw some pictures, give you websites? I don’t exactly have a lesson plan for self-conscious virgins.”

Stung, unconsciously folding her arms over her chest in an attempt to shield her body from emotional pain, she snapped, “You don’t have to make fun! You could’ve just said no!”

Her back was already to him and she was halfway down the driveway before Logan managed to snap himself out of his self-involved bubble and give chase. He hadn’t meant to be so cruel to her, he really hadn’t. The truth was, he liked Veronica. She wasn’t like the rest of the 09er girls that clung to him and the Kanes like thorns in their paws; Veronica didn’t have social climbing bone in her body, detested backstabbing, and didn’t do anything with malice involved. That was rare in Logan’s life, and he didn’t want to punish her for Lilly’s recent behavior.

“Veronica, wait!” he cried, using his long legs to catch her within five strides.

“I can’t believe I was so stupid!” she ranted as she continued to hurry away, not even bothering to give him a second look. “What the hell was I thinking?”

“Veronica-“

Finally stopping, she whirled on him, her blue eyes burning with fire that he had never seen there before. Completely ignoring the fact that they were now standing in the middle of the Echolls’ driveway, she exploded, “Do you know how hard that was for me to ask?! Let’s ignore the fact that Lilly would _kill me_ if she knew I was talking to you or the fact that you’re Duncan’s _best friend_ , but how about the fact that I’m opening myself up to your endless mocking?! I just needed you to be a friend for five minutes and you couldn’t even do that!”

“Would you let me say something?!”

“What?!”

“I’ll do it!”

Veronica took a step back, trying to regulate her breathing. As the anger slowly started to dissipate from her body, she meekly queried, “You will?”

“Only if you promise you’re not gonna freak out on me again.”

“I promise.”

With a nod of his head, he instructed, “Come by tomorrow after school.”

“I have pep squad.”

Biting the inside of his lip to stop the moan that wanted to come out at the idea of her in those green shorts and tight top, he amended, “Okay, then after. We’ll lay down the foundation. “

Veronica smiled in return before tossing her arms around his body. “Thank you, Logan! This means so much to me!”

She wasn’t even off the property before Logan came to the conclusion that this was an extraordinarily bad idea.

* * *

**Lesson the First: A Proper Make-Out**

Logan had kissed a dozen girls, slept with a handful; he had always been good with women, who were attracted to his natural charm and quick wit. Los Angeles had been a good training ground for his womanizing ways but Neptune, Neptune was the shark’s tank. Forget the daughters of starlets and studio owners; you hadn’t met a true man-eater until you had encountered Lilly Kane. 

Lilly Kane had been the only girl to ever make him feel insecure, off-balance; she didn’t buy into his bullshit because hers was twice as good. Every interaction between them was a game, a new manipulation, and she made no apologies for that. After all, she was Lilly-fucking-Kane, and he got the privilege of her company. If he didn’t like it, he could get out of the way because there were dozens of young men that wanted that privilege.

They had broken up barely a week ago. It wasn’t that he was sick of her cheating on him, though that certainly was part of it. No, what was insulting was that she wasn’t even bothering to be discrete anymore. Everyone knew that she had fucked Casey Gant the previous weekend, and, what was worse, was that she had done it in the backseat of _his_ Range Rover. Logan had exchanged it the next day for the Xterra and had broken up with Lilly, who declared him a non-entity. She had passed on that proclamation to every 09er girl, knowing she had no pull with her brother or Dick, and, since then, no girl would so much as look at him for fear of Lilly’s wrath.

_Except for Veronica…_

He wasn’t sure why he was nervous for her to arrive. Of all the girls he could mess around with in Neptune, Veronica Mars certainly wasn’t number one. Logan liked his girls to be sophisticated, experienced; he had learned the hard way that virgins tended to cling after you got in their pants, and, as such, he had an unwritten rule that if no man had gone there before, he wouldn’t be the first. That was part of the reason his assent to help Veronica was so puzzling to him. Even if he avoided the obvious minefields that were the Kane siblings, there was the fact that Veronica was as pure as the driven snow and would undoubtedly get attached to him. That was why he swore that, at the first sign of clinginess, he was going to end these little tutoring sessions.

“Logan?” he heard her call as she cautiously stepped over the threshold into the pool house. 

_Fuck me_ was all Logan could think as he finally caught sight of her. She obviously hadn’t changed after practice since she was still wearing her tiny green shorts and the t-shirt that clung enticingly to her breasts. Her long blonde hair was tied back in pigtails, the curled edges gently brushing against the swell of her chest, and her lips shone with pink lip gloss that he was sure tasted like some sort of fruit. 

“Sorry I’m late. Practice ran long.”

Trying to shrug off the arousal that was starting to tug at him, he feigned nonchalance. “Hey, you’re just cutting into your time.”

“I told Dad that I’m helping you study for our chemistry test, so he doesn’t expect me until dinner,” she reported, setting her bag down. “That’s cool, right?”

If ever there was an instant killer of erections, it was the image of Sheriff Keith Mars, who carried a pistol on his hip, finding out what he had planned for his baby girl. Logan was quite attached to his genitalia, and he knew that if Sheriff Mars had any inkling what his thoughts were when he saw Veronica in those shorts, he would have no hesitation in removing it.

Maybe he already _did_ and _that_ was why Sheriff Mars hated him so badly.

“That’s fine.” Flopping back onto the bed that was the centerpiece of the room, he playfully drawled, “Come into my den.”

“Said the spider to the fly,” Veronica finished, gingerly perching on the edge. “So what now?”

“I’m going to teach you how to kiss.”

Giving him a somewhat irritated look, she stated, “I already know how to kiss.”

With a smirk, he replied, “Ever turned Duncan inside out with a kiss?”

Gnawing anxiously on her lower lip, she mumbled, “I don’t know…probably not.”

“Then you don’t know how to kiss.” Scooting closer to her, Veronica immediately withdrew. When he tried again, she retreated yet again, almost as if they were in an old movie. Finally, he snapped, “Do you want my help or not?”

Ceasing her crab walk, Veronica sighed heavily. She was quiet for a moment before all but whispering, “Is this cheating on Duncan?”

Irritation draining from him, Logan echoed her sigh. Finally, he lied, “No. You’re doing this _for_ him. I wouldn’t recommend telling him about it, but he’ll be…happy with the result.”

She studied him for a moment with those big blue eyes before softly declaring, “You’re lying to me.”

He didn’t reply; he had no idea what to say.

Moving closer to him, she said, “Thank you.”

And then she sealed her mouth over his.

Logan was right; her lip gloss tasted like fruit, watermelon to be exact, and it slid against his lips in the most delightful way. Lilly’s lipstick, that shit she paid $50 a tube for, tasted horribly and always made her lips dry; he had always thought of it as sandpaper. But Veronica tasted as sweet as her personality, and he almost came in his pants when her tongue briefly flitted into his mouth, teasing him, before withdrawing. Almost immediately, his tongue sought to follow hers, but she was gone, pulling away, daintily wiping at a smudge of lip gloss on her face.

“See?” she said a bit triumphantly. “I know how to kiss.”

Most of his blood no longer in his brain, Logan gently grasped her wrist and tugged her against his chest. Cupping her face carefully in his palms, he murmured, “Show me again.”

Veronica had had a few intense make-out sessions with Duncan. Well, as intense as Duncan ever got. She had gotten mildly interested, wanting him to get a bit more active, but he was Duncan and she loved him for his calmness. Things were never calm in her house; Duncan was like a rock, unmovable, unflappable. It was a nice contrast to the recent craziness of her life.

But this…She had thought Logan was exaggerating about being turned inside out with a kiss. She should’ve known that he wasn’t. Logan didn’t exaggerate; he stated the facts as he saw them and did what he wanted with those facts. And even though she was supposed to be in control of this learning session, she suddenly felt as if Logan Echolls had twisted her into one big hormonal knot and was tightening it.

His mouth was soft but insistent, urging her to press back harder, to touch his face, his arms, anything. When he slid an arm around her waist, urging her body against his, Veronica moaned into his mouth, her tongue now playfully twisting with his, and she slid her arms around his neck, hoisting herself up and into his lap. 

Logan barely cut off his groan as Veronica lowered herself against his erection. He was certain she would leap off of him and run screaming when she felt his dick pushing into the softness between her legs, but she was either too involved in the kiss or just innocent enough that it didn’t register. And once he realized she didn’t care, he set about devouring her mouth.

Lilly hated to make-out; she said it was a waste of time, that it was just putting off “the good stuff.” Lilly was all about the good stuff. Logan didn’t usually protest that; he was a sixteen-year-old boy, so anytime he could skip the foreplay and go right to the sex, he wasn’t going to turn up his nose at it. But in his time with Lilly, he had forgotten just how much fun this could be.

They were twenty minutes into their make-out session when Veronica pulled back and gasped against his lips, “Logan, this doesn’t feel like…like a lesson anymore…It feels like…”

“Like what?” he panted back, pressing several quick kisses to her jaw line.

“Like making out,” she whimpered as he found a particularly sensitive spot beneath her ear.

Moving back towards her mouth, he quipped, “Practice makes perfect.”

When the alarm on her cell phone began to trill loudly, announcing to Veronica that it was time to go home for dinner, she was pinned beneath Logan, her hands wandering the expansive plane of his back, his hands still in her hair, though they had ventured once or twice towards her hips before retreating back to neutral zones.

Logan rolled off of her onto his back, slowly trying to calm his breathing and heart rate, attempting to will away his rock hard erection. Veronica remained next to him for a moment before sitting up. Logan couldn’t help but smirk at the wrinkled state of Veronica’s uniform, the wild hair that had long ago escaped the pigtails, the telling sight of her tightened nipples beneath her shirt. He knew that his own clothes were equally rumpled and that his face was smeared with that fabulous tasting watermelon lip gloss, but the sight of a debauched Veronica was far more arousing.

Running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to regain some semblance of propriety, she tied the blonde strands into a low ponytail. Her cheeks a delightful pink, she said, “Thank you…for the lesson.”

“No problem,” he replied, his voice rough with arousal.

Shifting her weight nervously, she inquired, “When can I come for my next lesson?”

“Thursday good?”

She nodded, picking up her discarded messenger bag. “I’ll see you Thursday then.”

“See ya, V.”

The taillights of her car hadn’t even disappeared before Logan was in the shower, ice cold water uselessly pounding around him as he fisted his cock until he came, his semen spraying the imported tile of the shower, Veronica’s name on his lips.

* * *

**Lesson the Second: Manual Stimulation**

She wasn’t wearing her pep squad uniform on Thursday, and, for that, Logan was eternally grateful; it saved him the embarrassment of coming in his pants like he was twelve and had just seen his first set of boobs. No, she was wearing the same outfit she had worn at lunch today, the one that made her look as angelic as Keith Mars wanted her to stay. He couldn’t help but admire the muscled golden legs that her corduroy skirt revealed, the demureness of her fuzzy pink sweater; her hair was down today, hanging in soft curls around her face, and her lips shone with the same lip gloss that had decorated his face a few days ago.

Veronica seemed more relaxed than she had on Monday, and this time she sank onto the bed with ease instead of appearing as if she was facing her executioner. Logan resisted the urge to smirk at the way her eyes kept flicking towards his lips as if she wanted him to kiss her but wasn’t sure how to ask for it.

“So what do you want to learn today?” he drawled, moving around the room to close the shades.

“Well…what do you recommend?”

_I recommend that you get naked immediately and we move straight to the final exam_ was Logan’s internal reply. Instead, he pushed, “What do you want?”

“You know more than I do what should come next,” she challenged, not giving an inch.

“You’ve already gotten kissing down,” Logan mused aloud, prompting Veronica to lightly flush in remembrance of their previous activities. “So I guess we could move right along to-“

“Second base, right?” Veronica cut in, a touch overexcited.

Logan couldn’t hide his smile this time; he couldn’t remember the last time he had called what he was going to show her “second base.” It was so junior high in its innocence that it made her twice as appealing. Taking his seat on the bed, he inquired, “Ready for your second lesson?”

Veronica nodded eagerly.

Just as he was about to open his mouth he realized that he wasn’t exactly sure how to go about this. Kissing Veronica was not hard to initiate or even explain away if caught; this was a whole new line, the one that was impossible to go back from. And even if he _was_ approaching this as a learning experience for her-and he was fairly certain after several masturbatory fantasies that he was _not_ -this was a major lesson.

Finally, he tentatively began, “There are three major ways you can pleasure a guy. There’s your hands, your mouth, and your…”

“Vagina,” Veronica prompted with a nod of her head that was intended to hurry him along.

God, Logan hated that word; it sounded far too clinical for what he wanted. “Right, vagina. We want to ease you into this, so we’re gonna start with hands.”

“Okay,” she easily agreed. “So you’re gonna teach me how to give Duncan a hand job?”

Logan nearly swallowed his tongue at the casual way his chaste friend casually identified his lesson. Veronica blushed when you said “tits” at the lunch table; had she been practicing words in the mirror to stop herself from the same reaction now?

“Basically.” Moving towards the night stand next to the table, he opened the drawer, tossing over his shoulder, “I got something that should help with this.”

For a minute, Veronica couldn’t identify what he was holding, but, when she did, her face turned fire engine red and couldn’t help but gasp. She knew what it was; Lilly had made more than a few jokes about them, had even threatened to buy her one for her sixteenth birthday, but Veronica had never seen one up close and personal.

Logan was holding a purple dildo, complete with balls at the base.

“Where did you get _that_?!” she squealed, averting her eyes as if she had just seen Clemmons in the shower.

“The sex shop on Houston,” he casually replied, sitting back down beside her. “Sarah, the very nice lady behind the counter, told me its one of the best models.”

“What, did she take it for a test drive like a car?” she snapped, trying not to look at it.

“Veronica…it’s just rubber and silicone.”

“It’s a vibrator!”

“No, it’s not, Miss Honor Roll. _This_ is simply a dildo. It will only move when you make it. See?” To demonstrate his point, he began to shake the dildo by the testicles at the base, making the long purple penis wave in the wind, much to Veronica’s horror.

“Stop it!” she shrieked, trying to grab his wrist to stop the dildo waving.

Exasperated, Logan practically asked, “V, if you can’t even look or touch at the fake one, how are you gonna touch Duncan’s?”

Chagrined, Veronica took a deep breath and very deliberately took the sex toy into her hand, holding it as if it were a stick of dynamite. “Okay, I’m touching it,” she petulantly announced.

“Look, if you don’t want to do this-“

“No, I do!” she assured him. “What now?”

“I’m assuming we can skip the anatomy lesson?”

“I think I can tell the difference between the parts, yeah.”

Leaning back against the pillows, Logan began, “The most important thing to realize is that, no matter how good of a hand job you give, we can still give ourselves a better one.”

“What?!”

“Look, we have constant access to it and we’ve been doing it a helluva lot longer, so we’re just better at. Hand jobs are usually for thirteen-year-olds. However, if you’re in a tight situation, like a backseat, they’ll do in a pinch. Now, always remember that every thing there is very delicate; if you think you’re squeezing too hard, you are. Put your hand around it.”

Veronica cautiously wrapped her hand around the fake phallus, almost as if she was afraid it would burn her.

“Give it a few strokes, but keep it gentle, kinda teasing.”

Slowly, Veronica agreed. As Logan continued to give directions, Veronica began to feel more and more ridiculous before tossing the dildo at him and exclaiming, “What good is this?! It’s a piece of plastic! How am I supposed to know if I’m doing it right? What if I _am_ squeezing too hard? What’s it gonna do? And I doubt Duncan’s gonna sit still! How am I supposed to adapt when he’s squirming around if Barney the Purple Phallus just sits there?!”

“Well, I don’t know how to teach you this! What am I supposed to do, whip mine out and let you practice?”

“Why not? That’s how I learned kissing!”

The moment her words were out, there was no taking them back. Veronica looked shocked that she had let them escape; Logan appeared as if he had just had a stroke. While he had certainly _hoped_ that Veronica would offer to give him a hand, he hadn’t expected her to suggest it; that was why he had bought that ridiculous toy. But to hear her actually say it…

“I’m sorry,” she immediately began to backpedal. “That was too far. I’m sorry. I’ll just go.”

“No, Veronica, don’t,” he objected, stilling her so she couldn’t run. Inclining his head towards her, he sighed, “We’re doing this out of order. Kiss me.”

She immediately complied, her arms obediently encircling his neck while his found their way around her waist. As she eagerly gave him her watermelon flavored mouth, his hands began to slide beneath her sweater. When she jerked back, he gently reminded her, “Second base, remember? Just say no and I’ll stop.”

Veronica remained quiet; he pushed the sweater up, leaving her clad in her skirt and a pale pink spaghetti strap top that her small but ample breasts were nearly bursting out of. Her nipples were pushed up hard against it and Logan was willing to bet the entire Echolls fortune that she wore no bra beneath it. 

Her kisses were hungrier with an edge of desperation, as if she thought she could alleviate her nerves by the pleasure of his kisses, and, when Logan’s index finger lightly flitted across her right nipple, she jumped a bit but did not pull away. Taking that as a sign of her approval, he moved his thumbs across both of the erect points, and this time she sighed, pushing her chest subtly into his hands.

Veronica began to pepper kisses along his jaw, his cheeks, anything her mouth could reach as his hands fully cupper her breasts. “Logan,” she groaned against his ear, her hot breath scorching against his skin. “Please…”

Logan knew that she had no idea what she was asking for, but he did, which was why he carefully lowered the straps of her shirt, brushing sweet kisses against the delicacy of her collar bone before baring her breasts to his lustful gaze. When he could see her, he sat back on his heels, staring for a moment in awe.

It wasn’t that Logan hadn’t seen breasts before; he had seen more breasts than a _Playboy_ photographer. It was just that he had never seen _Veronica’s_ breasts before. They were nowhere nears as large as Lilly’s, but that was their charm; they fit perfectly in the palm of his hand and were topped off with the sweetest pink nipples he had ever had the pleasure of seeing. He could already feel them against his tongue, feel the softness against his face.

Self-conscious, Veronica folded her arms over her chest, shielding her from his gaze. When he glanced up at her face, he saw the embarrassment there but was more surprised by the shame.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she lied, her voice sounding small, so unlike Veronica.

“What’s wrong?” he repeated, having none of it.

“It’s just…I know they’re not big, like Lilly’s or-or Madison’s, and I know that I’m not…sexy like them-“

Pressing a finger against her lips, Logan forcefully stated, “You’re beautiful, Veronica. You’re perfect. Doesn’t Duncan tell you that?”

“Not really. It’s not…It’s not his style.”

“That’s ridiculous. If you were my girlfriend-“

When he abruptly stopped, Veronica prompted, “If I was your girlfriend what?”

“I’d tell you how beautiful you were every second of the day. I’d never let you think you were less than them, because you are so much more beautiful than Lilly or Madison could ever be. I’d kiss every inch of you to let you know how beautiful I find you.”

Veronica knew that it was probably a line, something to boost her self-esteem. But that didn’t stop the tears from flooding her eyes or unfolding her tightly clasped arms, allowing him access to her breasts again. The moment they were available to them, he lowered his mouth to the swell, beginning to press kisses all around the breast, his tongue lightly circling the nipple. Her entire body was tense, her fingers digging into his shoulders, and she shuddered as his warm breath misted across her flesh.

The suction of his mouth against her nipple made her cry out, her hips pitching up on instinct, and Logan grinned with pride as his hand began to work on the nipple that was not covered by his mouth. Her skin was heating up, flush with pleasure, and giving her a lesson was the very last thing on his mind in that moment because it definitely didn’t feel like she was learning anything.

And then he felt the pressure of her small hand against the bulge in his pants, and his own hips jerked, trying to regain contact. Logan withdrew so that he could look Veronica in the eyes, and he saw the nervousness there but also anticipation. He slowly moved onto his back, and Veronica followed, sitting up beside him, her breasts delightfully bare as her shirt was pushed down around her waist.

Logan slowly unzipped his pants, making sure that Veronica had an adequate amount of time to protest should she want to stop, but she did nothing other than watch, her entire face covered in a delightful blush. When he pushed his pants and boxers down, his erection sprang up comically, hard and throbbing framed by a thatch of dark hair. Veronica’s eyes widened but she did not say anything, just moved her hand towards it and then withdrew, like a child reaching for a breakable and then thinking better of it.

“You okay?” he felt obligated to ask.

“It’s…it’s not what I expected.”

“Is that good or bad?”

“Good,” she decided, her eyes assessing his hard-on. Logan smiled when he noticed the way she was pulling the corner of her mouth in with her teeth; it was the same thing she did when she was trying to solve a particularly hard math problem.

Feeling a bit ridiculous just lying there with his dick out, Logan began, “It’s ok. We can stop-“

The rest of his words became a moan as Veronica wrapped her fingers around his straining flesh and pumped it once, experimentally. When she did it again, just one pump and then a pause, Logan groaned, “Jesus, Veronica, don’t tease.”

“You said to tease,” she pointed out, tugging twice before trailing her fingertips down towards the base.

“Not now!” he gritted through his teeth.

Reaching down, he used his own hand to guide hers, showing her the motion he liked best. As in all things, Veronica was a fast learner, and soon her hand was moving with unerring precision. Logan could feel his climax building, coming closer and closer to the surface, and he couldn’t help but note that Veronica now seemed fascinated by what she held in her hand, at the precum gathering at the tip, at the way he moved his hips to gain more friction.

“Veronica,” he panted, “if you keep going…I’m gonna come.”

“Isn’t that the point?” she asked, a bit of a smile playing at her lips. Logan couldn’t believe that she was joking with him right now. Lilly never joked.

When he felt the warmth of her fingertips begin to massage his balls, he couldn’t hold back any longer. With a cry, he exploded, his come spilling over her hand and onto his stomach. As he lie there afterward, bliss flowing through his veins, he saw Veronica calmly reach over and grab a handful of Kleenex, cleaning the two of them up. When she was done, she smiled.

“That was pretty cool.”

Finally gaining the muscle control to sit up, Logan kissed her, his mouth demanding against hers, and his fingers began to roll her nipples, tugging at the flesh. Just as she began to moan and Logan started to lower her back against the mattress, they heard Lynn Echolls cry, “Logan! Are you in the pool house?!”

As if they had been electrocuted, they pulled apart, Veronica fighting to get her tank top over her breasts, tugging her sweater over her head. Logan quickly zipped up his pants, rushing to flush the soiled Kleenex, and, when Lynn finally entered the pool house, Veronica had out her chemistry book and Logan was staring intently into it as she began to rattle off inane facts on the periodic table.

“Oh, hi, Veronica,” Lynn greeted. “Are you staying for dinner? Arnold and Maria are coming over.”

“No, thanks, Mrs. Echolls.”

“You sure? I can have them set a place for you.”

Sliding her book into her bag, she assured her, “No, it’s fine. My dad’s making lasagna tonight anyway.”

“Well, Logan, I set out your new suit to wear. Your dad’s gonna be home in twenty minutes, so be ready by then, okay?”

The moment Lynn Echolls was gone, Logan began, “Veronica-“

“I should get going. You need to get ready.”

“Veronica-“

But she was out the door, and Logan was stuck in the pool house, waiting for dinner with the Terminator and his wife. He was certain that he had ruined things forever with Veronica until later that night when he saw he had a text message. When he opened it, it read **Are you busy Sunday? Let me know.**

Logan had been right; this was a very bad idea, but that didn’t stop him from sending a message back. 

**Cya Sunday, V**

* * *

**Lesson the Third: Oral Fixations**

Neptune seemed to be mocking Logan with its perfect spring weather on Sunday afternoon. As he lied on his back beside the pool, staring up at the clear blue sky, he couldn’t help but wonder what the hell he had gotten himself into. Had it really been only a week ago that Veronica had asked him for his help? And why had he given it? There were few hard and fast rules that Logan Echolls lived his life by but number one on that list was that you _never_ fucked around with your best friend’s girl, especially when that best friend was Duncan Kane, who would move heaven and earth to help you out of a jam. That rule should’ve had a sub-section that stated you _especially_ didn’t fuck around with Duncan’s girl when the girl in question was Veronica Mars, whose lips always tasted of watermelon lip gloss, who could smile and turn the toughest man inside out, whose inexperienced touch had made him come harder than hours of fucking Lilly Kane. 

He had teased Duncan once that Veronica Mars was the conscience of the 09ers, the sole voice of morality in a world that was dominated by excess and tempted the most angelic with vices that most grown people couldn’t fathom. Duncan had smiled, said that Veronica was the North Star, never changing in her beliefs, constant; it was what Duncan liked about her, the fact that not even Lilly could lead her off course. 

It was not a trait that Logan respected in women. When your sole goal was to sleep with as many women as possible, leading them off the beaten path of chastity into debauchery was a necessity; immovable girls were not to be toiled with, as they were a waste of precious time. And yet…the immovable girl had been the one to come to _him_ , to ask _him_ to sin. The irony amused him.

And, when he saw Veronica appear poolside in pale yellow sundress decorated with tiny blue daisies, he knew that it had damned him.

She lied back on the lounge that was parallel to his, crossing her legs daintily at the ankle. After a moment, she quipped, “How was dinner with the Terminator?”

“He and Dad talked cigars, Mom talked about Botox, and Maria just looked uncomfortable.” Removing his sunglasses, he tilted his head towards her. “They’re in Tahoe until Tuesday; it’s Dad’s apology for missing her birthday.”

“Was he shooting a movie?”

“No, banging a stewardess.”

Veronica didn’t blush; it was no surprise that Aaron Echolls was a philanderer. Besides, Lilly had told her enough rumors about the Echolls marriage that Veronica wasn’t sure she could ever look at them the same way.

“So…we’re the only ones here?”

Logan nodded. “Mrs. Navarro doesn’t come in on Sundays, Cook has the night off…It’s just us.”

Fingers anxiously playing with the curled end of one piece of hair, she cautiously asked, “Does that mean we’re gonna do the next lesson?”

“If you want.”

“I want,” she confirmed, her nervous fingers now tugging at the hem of her dress. “I mean…no point in stopping now, right? Should we go in the pool house?”

As he stared at her in the sunlight, her eyes bright with excitement, cheeks a delightful pink, golden locks spilling over her shoulders, Logan just shook his head. He wanted to see her in the sunlight, see what her passion looked like out in the open rather than in the darkness of the pool house. 

Logan moved slowly towards her, giving her enough time to figure out he had planned and to object. When she didn’t, he all but panther crawled up her svelte body, no easy task considering the size of lounge. With his weight suspended above her, braced only by his arms, he brushed a teasing kiss across her lips, causing her to strain upwards in her quest for something more substantial. He chuckled, his breath warm against her, and sighed, “I’ve been a bad teacher.”

“No, you haven’t,” she protested, her hands sliding around his back, lighting stroking. “You did just what I wanted.”

“But I didn’t teach you reciprocity.”

Veronica just stared at him, waiting.

“You did for me last time, but I didn’t do for you.”

Flushing a brilliant shade of crimson, Veronica stuttered, “I-I didn’t ask you to do that. Besides, I don’t need to know what… _that’s_ like.”

“Unless DK sits on his hands while you’re doing this, he’s going to touch you back.” Pressing a kiss to base of her throat, he breathed, “He’d be crazy not to.”

“But you don’t _have_ to!”

“I _want_ to,” he assured her, “but if you don’t want it…”

The excitement coursing through her outweighed the nervousness as she nodded her head. “Just…go slow?”

He kissed her softly, trying to relax her. His hands were polite when they skimmed her body, and that seemed to get to her more than the demanding kisses that they had shared on Thursday. Already he could feel his shirt knotting in her hands as she tugged and twisted, trying to get him closer, to touch her the way she needed him to. 

When he gently tweaked a tight nipple, Veronica thrust her hips up against his, slamming hard against his erection, and Logan knew that she was at the point where she would not panic if he made his move. Slowly, he began to stroke the flesh of her thigh, almost the way he would have petted an animal to soothe them, but, when his fingers touched the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, Veronica’s eyes snapped open and Logan saw the fear there.

“I won’t hurt you,” he promised, keeping the butterfly light touch to the thigh constant. “I only want to make you feel good.”

“You’ll stop if I ask?”

“I’ll never make you do anything you don’t want to do, V. This is all for you, baby. If you don’t like it, just say so.”

“Go ahead,” she acquiesced, brushing a kiss to his forehead. “But it better be as good as you promise,” she added with a shaky smile.

He couldn’t help but kiss her then, so overwhelmed by her. As their lips tangled and Veronica began to exhibit more passion, he carefully hooked his fingers beneath the strings of her bikini panties and began to tug them down. He felt her tense for a moment and he nearly stopped until she began to kiss him again, her own hand moving downward to assist him. 

When the small bunch of fabric lay on the ground beside them, Logan, infinitely gentle, allowed his fingers to graze the flesh between her legs. She jolted, trying to sit up from the intensity of the feeling, but the weight of Logan’s body kept her on the lounge.

“Relax, babe.”

She was wet, incredibly so. It had taken Lilly forever to get wet; for a girl that was perpetually in heat, actual arousal from Lilly was rare. To feel the heat and slickness of Veronica’s flesh was something new for Logan. It not only filled him with a sense of masculine pride that he could get her this worked up, but it made him feel wanted, desired. Sex was a weapon to Lilly, a tool to control men; all Veronica felt was want.

He found her entrance easily, guarded by blonde curls that were dripping with dew, and, as slowly as he could, he eased his index finger inside her. She cried out, her fingers curling around his biceps, and he was surprised to hear _himself_ pant out, “Did I hurt you?”

“Good,” was all she managed.

Taking that as a sign to continue, Logan slowly drew himself upwards, never dislodging the finger inside her warmth. Veronica stared at him in confusion for a moment until she felt him drawing down the zipper of her dress, tugging the front down with his left hand, desperately trying to bare her breasts. She reached up, shaking off his hand, and drew it down with a wantonness that she could not believe she possessed. When her breasts were visible, flushed from the blood pumping furiously through her, her dusky pink nipples begging for his mouth, Logan declared, “God, you’re gorgeous,” before taking them in his mouth.

Veronica moaned desperately, crying out as he tugged a nipple with his teeth while simultaneously sliding his thumb against her engorged clit. For Veronica, untried even by her own hand, the light pressure of Logan’s thumb against that tender bundle of nerves was all it took to send her rocketing into the first orgasm of her life.

Logan was in awe as he watched her come apart, moaning and calling his name, her head whipping back and forth as her eyes were fluttering with the new sensation. She looked like an angel, ravished by pleasure, and Logan knew in that second that he was positively lost. And it was while he witnessed her quake and shiver from pleasure, that it was time to move on in the lesson plan. 

“Lesson three,” he murmured before positioning himself between her splayed thighs. With one last glance spared to her face, Logan took a breath and began to lap at the wetness seeping from her body. 

Veronica bolted upright in shock at the first touch of Logan’s tongue to her clit, so embarrassed that she could barely breathe. She reached for his head, her fingers tangling into his hair to push him away. All she had managed to eke out was, “Logan,” before he sweetly suckled her throbbing flesh between his lips, his tongue gently lashing it to the beat of her pulse. Suddenly the hands that she had meant to push him away were pulling him closer, and her voice was now begging him to not stop, to never stop.

Logan had never really enjoyed this part of foreplay, and neither had Lilly. The one time that he had attempted to do it without her asking, it had been about a month into their relationship. He had just lowered his mouth when she had slapped his shoulder and snapped, “What the fuck are you doing?! You think I’m gonna kiss you after that?! I wanted you to fuck me, dipshit!”

He had never initiated it again and had declared it unnecessary with any of his other hookups. It didn’t do anything for him, and, really, why should he put extra leg work into what was already a done deal? 

Only a minute into oral sex with Veronica, Logan had decided that he could happily remain like this for the rest of his life. 

She tasted like truth in his mouth, like sunshine and passion and hope. The flavor of her exploded against his tongue, waking up senses that he didn’t even know he had, senses that had been beaten into submission during his relationship with Lilly. Here, Veronica Mars’s creamy thighs framing his body, the sweetness of her juices spilling into his mouth, her fingers twining in his hair to direct him to where she needed him, Logan didn’t feel like an annoyance or a walking sex toy; he felt _needed_ , _desired_ , **free** of Lilly Kane.

And wasn’t it just his luck that he had found that absolution with his best friend’s girlfriend?

“Oh God, Logan,” Veronica began to keen, rolling her hips in an attempt to get more friction where she desperately needed it. “Logan, please, god, Logan, yes!”

Crooking the fingers inside of her upwards, he searched until he found it: the telltale bump that would send her screaming into pleasure. The moment his fingers began to stroke it, Logan applied harsh suction to her clit. Veronica screamed, alerting everyone in the tri-county area to her enjoyment, her hands pulling painfully at his hair, but Logan didn’t care as long as she kept crying his name like that.

As he backed off, his erection pressing painfully against his zipper, he watched as Veronica began to suck as much oxygen as she could into her lungs, body twitching with aftershocks of pleasure, a blush now covering her body. She looked thoroughly debauched, her dress now just a heap of fabric around her waist. As she closed her eyes, pressing a hand to her forehead in an attempt to calm down, Logan discreetly picked up the panties from the ground and slid them into his pocket. 

Veronica’s eyes fluttered open, a brilliant blue that cut right through him, and the languid smile that appeared on her face was too sweet for words. Her voice hoarse from screaming, she whispered, “Is it my turn to return the favor?”

Despite the throbbing that had now spread to his lower stomach, Logan shook his head, pressed a kiss to the palm of her reaching hand. “I’m good.”

“But you’re supposed to teach me-“

Logan shushed her with a finger against her lips, not wanting her to mention their agreement, wanting her to let him have the illusion that this was just another lazy Sunday afternoon, that they were lovers and this was customary. Veronica, knowledge reflecting in her shining eyes, sat up, daintily righting her dress. When she was done, she leaned forward, kissing him, tasting herself on his tongue.

Pulling back, she rested her forehead against his and asked, “Should I go?”

“No,” he replied, cradling her in his arms, arranging them on the lounge so that she was laying her head against his chest. “Let’s just stay here for a little bit.”

And so they laid there in silence that was louder than any words they could have managed until Dick and Beaver Casablancas announced their presence as they began to tromp through the house. Giving her one last, lingering kiss, Logan had bid her goodbye and Logan caught one last glimpse of her blonde hair before the brothers Casablancas appeared.

* * *

**Lesson the Fourth: Bringing the Giant Down**

What do you do when you’re sitting at a lunch table with your best friend and all you can think about is how you had gone down on his girlfriend the day before? Logan had never thought he would have to ask himself that question, but today he had to face that very conundrum. 

Duncan was sitting across from him, and Veronica, looking radiant in a blue sleeveless shirt and jean skirt, was beside him, appearing to be as uncomfortable as Logan felt. The Kane heir was oblivious, of course; he just laughed at some ridiculous story that John Enbom was telling. Lilly, finally realizing that no one was going to ignore Logan out of solidarity for her no matter who she was, was sitting at the far end of the table with Madison and Shelley holding court. From the looks she was shooting Logan, he had a feeling that something was about to go down.

True to form, Lilly loudly interrupted, “So, Veronica, where _were_ you yesterday? I tried calling you, like, a hundred times.”

Oh, it was a low blow to go after Veronica, and the blonde teen looked terrified as her “best friend” turned her gaze on her.

“I went to the library,” Veronica lied, taking a sip of her soda. “I had to study for my chemistry test.”

“You’ve been studying an _awful_ lot lately. I’m starting to think you’re avoiding me or something.”

Veronica gave a high pitched laugh, obviously trying to shrug it off, but Lilly was having none of it. She was about to make another scathing remark when Logan spoke up, “She’s been tutoring me.”

He would’ve laughed at the way Lilly jerked her head if it wasn’t such a dangerous situation. “ _Really_? Since when?”

“Last week,” Veronica replied, a bit more strength filling her tone. “He’s not doing so great in chemistry.”

“And, what, you just decided to keep this a secret?”

“She told me,” Duncan spoke up, surprising Logan. “Quit making a big deal out of it, Lil.”

“My _best friend_ is going _behind my back_ to spend time with my ex and I shouldn’t make a big deal out of it?!”

“Jesus, Lilly, it’s not like they’re trying to elope!” Duncan snapped.

“What kind of friend _are_ you, Veronica?” Lilly railed, ignoring her baby brother. “Don’t you have any sort of loyalty?”

“Back the fuck off, Lilly!” Logan finally exploded, startling the rest of the table with the severity in his tone. “Don’t jump on her because the pool boy you decided to fuck hit it and quit it! Veronica’s more loyal to you than any of your other ass kissers so maybe you shouldn’t treat the one _real_ friend you have like shit!”

And then Logan stormed away from the table, leaving everyone, including the Kane siblings and Veronica, in shock.

* * *

When Logan slid into the driver’s seat of the X-terra, he was more than a little surprised to find Veronica in the passenger’s seat reading a copy of _The Great Gatsby_ for English class. She didn’t seem at all bothered by the fact that she had broken into his brand new car, made evident by the way she slid her bookmark between the pages and casually slid it back into her bag. Finally, she looked at him and declared, “My mom can’t pick me up today, and, since Lilly isn’t really talking to me, I can’t get a ride with her. Think you can take me home?”

“The car was locked,” was all Logan offered in return.

She shrugged. “You say that like it is important.”

“You broke into my car.”

“I prefer to think of it as ‘opened it without a key.’”

Shaking his head in amused disbelief, Logan declared, “I get the feeling there’s a real dark side to you, Veronica Mars.”

An enigmatic smile across her lips, she pronounced, “You don’t know everything about me, Logan.”

Veronica’s house was on Bay View, the very last road in the 09er zip code; it was so far removed from the Kane and Echolls mansions that it might as well have been on a different planet. There were no pools in this neighborhood, no sports car, no designer outfits brought home by housewives in Jimmy Choos. Logan didn’t spend much time in this section of Neptune; the further you got from the center of 09er-land, the closer you got to people who had no problem putting you in your place.

“You know, my dad, he’s been pretty busy with that E-string killer investigation,” Veronica began, almost casually, as they pulled into her empty driveway. “He’s probably not even going to be home tonight.”

“Uh-huh,” Logan said cautiously.

“And my mom, she’s in LA for the day visiting some friends from college. It’s just me and Backup here all night.”

“Yeah…”

Seeing that he would not make the first move, Veronica boldly offered, “You want to come in?”

_Say no, Logan. Get her out of your car and drive home. Then, when you get there, get drunk and call Caitlin Ford; she’s always up for anything. Whatever you do, **do not** go inside that house with Veronica._

Removing the keys from the ignition, he nodded, following her inside the pleasant two-story house. He paused momentarily to give the pitbull puppy she had gotten for her last birthday a head scratch before following her into the living room. As she went into the kitchen to get some sodas, Logan took a moment to investigate the Mars’ living room. He had only been in Veronica’s house once before, and the Sheriff had been giving him a death glare, so he hadn’t really looked around. Now, as he did, he couldn’t help but smile.

It was like the shrine to Veronica Mars. Framed photos of her were lined up across the mantle; one wall was full of pictures, both of the family and individual shots; academic awards announced that she was the brightest girl in the Neptune sophomore class. Logan smiled when he found a picture of Veronica at two, standing in the bathtub covered in bubbles, offering her rubber ducky to the camera man; that was Veronica, generous even as a toddler.

“Oh, god, don’t look at those!” she ordered, shooing him away from the mantle. “It’s so embarrassing, the way Mom keeps those out.”

Taking a seat on the sofa, Logan shrugged. “Just means she wants everyone to see that she’s proud.”

“All it shows them is that I had a Buddha belly, that pigtails were my hairstyle of choice, and that I couldn’t get food in my mouth to save my life.”

“You look adorable.”

There was only a hint of pink to her cheeks at the compliment, a step up from just a week ago when she had turned crimson at the most bland of compliments. “Well, when do I get to see Logan Echolls baby pictures?”

A grimace crossed his lips. “The only baby pics you’re ever gonna see of me are the ones that Dad sold to _Vanity Fair_ for that bullshit ‘Aaron Echolls: Family Man’ story.”

Veronica remembered the story; it had run a year before after the rumors of Aaron screwing the maid had surfaced. Logan had spent a solid month completely blitzed, and Duncan had been truly worried about him.

Impulsively cupping his cheek, she murmured, “You’re so much better than he is.”

He didn’t want those words to affect him so greatly, but Logan couldn’t help it; he was terrified that he would be like his father, the child abusing, philandering asshole. Lilly had known that, exploited that. More than once she had screamed that he was just like Aaron, and it was the quickest way to get Logan to back down from a fight. He just knew that if Veronica knew the truth about his father the way that Lilly did she would never use it against him.

The kiss was slow, lazy, and Logan knew that he was taking his life in his hands by making out with the Sheriff’s baby girl on his couch. But Veronica fit so perfectly into his arms and she was everything he could ask for and did he _really_ have to consider the fact that she was his best friend’s girl?

He jumped when he felt her hand press against the front of his jeans, applying pressure to his burgeoning erection. It was the first overt action that Veronica had taken since these “lessons” had begun and he couldn’t say that it didn’t feel good. When she tugged at his zipper, his erection was suddenly rock-hard. The heat of her hand seemed like enough to burn as she carefully freed him from his boxers. She kept her touch light, her thumb circling the weeping head, and Logan shuddered from the sensation.

It was when she moved to lower her mouth against him that he caught her shoulder, gasping, “You don’t have to do this.”

Veronica blinked, an indefinable emotion glimmering in her blue eyes. “I want to.”

“Duncan won’t expect this.”

Pressing a tender kiss to his lips, she confessed in a whisper, “I’m not doing this for Duncan.”

Her mouth felt like a wet inferno, and Logan did everything he could to stop from thrusting upwards. It was obvious within the first thirty seconds that she didn’t have the experience of the girls who had done this to him in the past; it was also obvious that Logan did not care in the least. The feel of her doing this to him- _for_ him-was too overwhelming for words. 

She was careful at first, simply taking the tip of him into her mouth, sucking experimentally before swirling her tongue around the crest. The hand that clutched him at the base lightly stroked before tentatively caressing his balls, which caused him to whimper. As minutes ticked by, she became more comfortable, taking more and more of him into her mouth. She couldn’t do the deep throat thing that Lilly had once described to her, but she was able to take about half of his length before having to draw back. 

Logan twined his fingers into her silken locks, not wanting to force her but desperate to touch her. He began to move his head back and forth, nonsensical phrases spilling from his lips, asking, begging, _pleading_ for more, for anything she was willing to give him. When she flicked her eyes upward, Logan met her gaze and was completely stunned by the emotions he felt reflected in her blue depths. He whispered her name reverently, a prayer to the divine in the midst of an unforgivable sin against a man they both cared for, and Logan urged her away from him as his climax took over.

As he lay there recovering from his orgasm, Veronica daintily cleaned up the mess he had made on his jeans, discarding the tissues into the trashcan before carefully tucking him back into his pants. It wasn’t until she had neatly curled herself into the crook of his arm that Logan realized with brutal clarity that he was in love with Veronica Mars.

Later, when his brain was not foggy with orgasmic afterglow and he could assess his actions, he would wonder why he had not held his tongue. But he did not and that was why he blurted out, “Breakup with Duncan.”

Veronica pulled away so fast, her head whipping towards him, that he was almost certain that he had just told her that he murdered orphans and ate them in his spare time. “What?”

Not allowing himself to back off, he repeated, “Breakup with Duncan.”

“Why?”

“Veronica…you can’t deny that what we’re doing…that it doesn’t mean something to you.”

“Logan-“

“Don’t tell it doesn’t,” he interrupted, terrified that was what was going to spill from her lips.

“Of course it means something,” she assured him. “I mean, you’re my friend and you’ve been helping me and you’ve been _amazing_ …”

“I’m more than just your friend. What we just did…you don’t do that with friends.”

Panic began to fill Veronica’s eyes. “Well, no, but we’re not…I can’t leave Duncan, Logan. Do you know what that would do to him, me breaking up with him for his best friend? That’s not fair.”

“Life’s not fair, Veronica! Isn’t it worse to stay with him when you’re…”

“When I’m what?” she prompted, the panic still not enough to stop her curiosity.

“I’m in love with you,” he admitted. “I’m painfully, gut-wrenchingly in love with you, and it tears me up that you’re Duncan’s girlfriend. I don’t want to hurt him either. But you can’t say…I mean…do you feel the same way?”

Tears began to pool, her eyelashes glistening as if they had diamonds on them. “Do you have to ask?”

“Then why can’t you breakup with him? I know it’ll be hard-“

“Duncan loves me, Logan! It’ll _destroy_ him to lose us both all at once! And Lilly! Even though she’s not your girlfriend anymore, she’s still my best friend!”

“She tried to humiliate you at lunch! That’s not a friend!”

“No, that’s Lilly! I know what Lilly is, Logan! I know the risks that come with being around her! Everyone who goes near her does! But I can’t just walk away! You said it yourself, I’m the only real friend she has!”

“But you love me!”

“I know! You think I don’t think about that every second?! But we can’t do this!”

“Then why did you ask me to ‘teach’ you?! Why, if you were so worried about Duncan and your precious Lilly, did you ask _me_ to be your teacher?!”

“Because you’re you, and I knew you wouldn’t say no, not when sex was involved.”

Logan had been hurt in many ways in his life. He had been beaten with fists, whipped with a belt, burnt by cigars, strangled, and held underwater until he had thought he would drown, but nothing had ever been as physically painful than to hear the girl he was in love with declare that she thought he was a slut.

He stumbled blindly out the door, Veronica tearfully calling after him, “Logan, wait!”, but he couldn’t. He had to get away from Bay View Drive, away from Veronica Mars, before he completely lost it.

He managed not to cry until he stood beneath the beating water of the shower, and when he did, he sank to the floor and wailed because no matter how distinguished his pedigree, Veronica still thought that he was nothing.

* * *

**Lesson the Fifth: Never Swim Against the Current**

“I fucking hate geometry,” Lilly sighed as Veronica dug through her locker for her history book. “I mean, seriously, my dad has, like, a jillion dollars. Do they _really_ think that any college is going to look at my grades once they see his checkbook?”

“It’s good to know that you’re keeping your options in perspective, Lil,” she sarcastically replied. 

“So are you excited for this weekend?”

Veronica nodded, feigning a smile. “Catalina sounds awesome.”

“Veronica, Catalina is not the draw here. You are leaving a girl but coming back a woman. It’s, like, an epic journey.”

“Yeah, I hear Odysseus’s trip started that way.”

“Odysseus? Is he the Swedish exchange student?”

For the first time in days, a genuine laugh bubbled out of Veronica. “It’s a good thing your dad is Jake Kane, Lil.”

“Whatever. I gotta go. Clemmons wants to talk to me about my attitude. See you later, Veronica.”

She found the note between the pages of her history book. The moment she saw the handwriting, she knew who had slipped it inside and her heart momentarily stopped, her attention now focused on this slip of paper rather than the lecture on the Vietnam War.

_Veronica,_

_Your final lesson, if you still want it, is tonight. Come to the marina tonight at 8, slip 14. I’ll be waiting._

_L_

She already had an alibi established to tell her mother before class was even over.

* * *

The last time Veronica had been to the marina, she had gone sailing with Duncan and Logan while Lilly went shopping with Celeste in Los Angeles. With waves that were crashing up onto the deck, Veronica had been terrified, clinging to anything that was nailed down while Logan chuckled and Duncan tried to reassure her she’d be safe. When he had gone below to get a bucket on Logan’s insistence that Veronica looked like she was going to vomit, Logan had slid an arm around her waist and given her a squeeze, promising her that he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her.

Tonight, as Veronica slowly made her way to the slip where The Sun Dancer was docked, the warm breeze coming off of the sea caused the short skirt of her recently purchased red halter dress to swirl around her thighs. She wasn’t sure why she had bought the dress on her way home from school today; it wasn’t her style at all, but the image of Logan seeing her in it had proved to be too tempting. Of course, the heels that matched it made her balance precarious at best and they were not appropriate boat footwear, but that was inconsequential right now.

She saw him seated on the deck of his father’s sailboat, his long legs crossed at the ankle in front of him, an inscrutably dark expression on his face. When he saw her, she saw the flash of approval in his eyes at the way the dress clung to her curves before he forced it away.

“You’re late,” he spat, getting to his feet.

Shocked at his tone, she countered, “By, like, two minutes.”

“I might have plans after this,” he continued, turning his back on her as he began to pull at ropes and cords that Veronica didn’t understand in the slightest. 

“Well, unless you’re launching a nuclear strike against San Diego, I doubt two minutes will matter.”

“We can’t all cater to your schedule, Veronica.”

No longer titillated by the potential of this meeting or weighted down with worry about their last conversation, she snapped, “Why are you being so mean?!”

Finally turning to face her, Veronica saw just how tired and sad he looked. It was as if all the fight had been taken out of him, and she didn’t like this Logan. “I’m not your boyfriend, Veronica; I’m your whore. I don’t have to be nice to you.”

She reeled back as if slapped. “Is that what you think, that…that you’re my whore?”

“I’m your hired stud, aren’t I? You wanted someone to fool around with, so you asked me because I’m so morally bankrupt I wouldn’t have any problem doing it to Duncan. You bought the experience.”

“I didn’t _buy_ anything. I just wanted a favor!”

“Well, you gotta ‘em, baby.” Closing the gap between them, he mockingly inquired, “What do you want, darling? Tell me and I’ll be a good little boy and give it to you.”

Shoving him away from her with all of her strength, tears now sliding down her cheeks at his cruelty, she cried, “I want the Logan who made me feel like I mattered, like I was precious! I want the Logan that said he loved me! I want the Logan that didn’t treat me the way Lilly treats him! That’s what I want, Logan! Can you give me that or are you too busy pretending like I don’t matter at all?!”

They stood there, staring at each other, tears rolling down both their cheeks, at an impasse. Veronica finally turned to leave when Logan hoarsely called out, “Don’t!”

She turned to face him and replied, “Why not?”

Running his fingers through his hair in frustration, he admitted, “I can’t go back to the way things were, V. I can’t just pretend that this hasn’t happened, that I don’t feel this way.”

“So you thought doing your best Dick imitation was the way to make me pay?”

“No! I…I love you, Veronica.”

“You know how I feel.”

“No, I don’t,” he argued. “You avoided it when I asked you. So I need to know, Veronica! Spell it out for me; tell me who you love!”

Lower lip quivering, she whispered, “As long as I’m on this boat, it’s you. When it’s just us, when we’re like this, it’s always you. But the world…it isn’t this boat, and it’s more than just me and you, and in that world, I can’t…I can’t hurt Duncan. I just _can’t_.” Her tears were falling faster as she confessed, “I wish I could.”

Taking a tentative step towards her, he murmured, “Then as long as you’re on this boat, you’re mine. Duncan doesn’t exist. It’s just you and me.”

“But what about when-“

He pressed a finger to her lips, stilling the words he didn’t want to hear. If he could just keep up this game of pretend where the siblings Kane did not exist even for just a few hours, maybe he could keep his sanity. Tonight he just needed Veronica and nothing more.

“It’s just us.”

Logan navigated them away from shore, finally dropping anchor far away enough that the lights of Neptune only looked like Christmas bulbs in the distance. He watched Veronica with interest, at the way she stroked the goosebumps on her bare arms, the way she kept sneaking sly looks at him, the way she dabbed at the drying tears on her cheeks. She was his tonight, and he was amazed by that.

“Logan,” she began when he moved towards her, taking her into his arms, “I’m sorry for-“

“Shhh.” Brushing her hair away from her face, he swore, “It doesn’t matter. Just forget about that right now, okay? Let’s just have this be about us.”

Veronica nodded, accepting his proffered lips, wanting to be able to lose herself in the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, and Logan stroked the exposed skin of her back, sending chills up her spine. When he felt her shiver, he asked, “Do you want to go down to the cabin?”

If Keith Mars had taught his daughter anything, it was how to identify when a guy was trying to work his way into her pants. In those situations, he had taught her exactly how to make a man infertile with a single blow. But right now, Veronica didn’t want to fight Logan off; she wanted to go down to that cabin and see what he was offering her.

“Yeah.”

Veronica’s hand felt tiny in his own as he led her down the few steps to the cabin below deck. Aaron had the cabin professionally decorated, mostly as a place to take his mistresses, but Veronica obviously didn’t care as she gasped at the ornate room. The centerpiece of the entire room was a king sized bed covered in bedclothes that cost more than most people’s monthly salaries. Veronica lightly sat on the edge of the bed as Logan pressed a kiss to her forehead before moving to light the few candles around the room. When tears pricked her eyes this time, there was no sorrow or frustration there; it was appreciation and adoration. 

Logan stood before her and Veronica stared up at him, surprised to see the amount of vulnerability in Logan’s eyes. After a moment, he promised, “I’ll be good to you.”

Getting to her feet, she assured him, “I know.”

Their lips met with restrained passion as Veronica pressed her hands against his chest and Logan gently tugged at the strings of her halter dress. When the knot loosened, the flap of fabric fell, revealing the plump mounds of Veronica’s breasts, her nipples tight and demanding attention. Logan carefully pushed the dress down her frame, leaving her standing before him in nothing but a pair of lacy white panties and those dangerously high heels. The picture she presented was too overwhelming for words.

“Jesus,” was all Logan could get out before tracing the outer curve of her breast with his fingertips.

Her fingers trembled a bit as she tugged his shirt up, and she was grateful that he lifted his arms in order to assist her. Too nervous to try to remove his pants, Veronica pressed a soft, wet kiss to the patch of chest in front of her, and a noise of approval rumbled deep within him as he moved them backwards. Veronica’s knees hit the bed and she sat on instinct, continuing her trail of kisses down the meridian of his body. When she reached for his belt, Logan batted her hands away, urging her to move further towards the center of the bed. As she lied back on the blue comforter, Logan followed, pausing briefly to remove her shoes. He idly wished that they would have another time because the idea of making love to her with those heels on…

She stared up at him, her trusting blue eyes full of emotions that Lilly Kane could not even begin to comprehend, and Logan Echolls knew that he would remember this night for the rest of his life. 

Logan shed his pants, watching as Veronica averted her eyes like the blushing virgin she was, and the movement was too sweet for words. When he was nude, he touched her kneecap and she brought her gaze back towards him. She gave him a small smile and he kissed her kneecap in return. As he began to move his lips further up her leg, she rasped, “Are you gonna…?”

“Do you want me to?”

Veronica enthusiastically nodded her head as the memory of her last foray into oral sex worked its way to the forefront of her brain.

Hooking his thumbs into the panties, Logan kissed each of her hipbones before dragging them down her tanned legs. Once they were free of her body, he positioned himself between her thighs. With a seductive grin, Logan dipped his head down and Veronica’s head fell back as she began to cry out in pleasure.

Logan had never been with someone so responsive. Lilly would dirty talk, but it didn’t excite her or even really him; she said it because that was what you were supposed to say when you were having sex. There were no moans or gasps or even saying his name; Lilly, when she wasn’t being crude, was a fairly silent bed partner. It was a pleasant change of pace to be with Veronica who would tell him how good every lick, nibble, and touch felt.

When she reached her peak, Logan slid up her body, barely giving her a chance to recover before his erection was pressing against the entrance to her body. Veronica gasped, her hands now grasping his shoulders tightly as the knowledge that they were truly about to become lovers struck her.

“Are you okay? Do you want to stop?” Logan panted, praying to every deity under the sun that she would say anything _but_ no.

Softly, sounding so very young, she requested, “Tell me you love me.”

Sincerity ringing through with every syllable, he swore, “I love you. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone else in my life. You’re it, Veronica. You’re my love.”

Veronica bent her knees, cradling his body, and she tightened her hold on him as she tipped her hips upwards, sending him a signal that she was ready. Logan stretched across to the bedside table, retrieving a condom. With precision, he rolled it down his length before sighing into her ear, “I love you, Veronica.”

The pain was sharp and immediate, and Veronica’s nails bit into the corded muscle of his back as Logan held still, hoping to give her enough time to adjust before moving. After several tense moments, Veronica relaxed the smallest degree and Logan whispered, “Are you okay?”

Slowly, Veronica nodded. “Just don’t let go, okay?”

His hips moved carefully, his movements achingly tender, and Veronica lifted her legs to wrap around his waist, squeezing his hips as she tentatively thrust back against him. It was not like in the movies, Veronica realized; soreness radiated throughout her though pleasure was slowly overtaking it, and their movements were awkward, but this also was the most treasured that Veronica had ever felt.

Logan twisted his hips, moving into her at a different angle, and Veronica gasped and froze as he grazed a spot inside her that made pleasure shoot through her. With a smile, Logan did again, knowing that he had found her g-spot, and this time Veronica moaned long and deep. By the third stroke, she was panting, “Faster, Logan, please!”

Wetly covering her throat with kisses, Logan sped up his thrusts, pushing powerfully inside her, and Veronica began to keep his rhythm, aching for the return of his body into hers. As they strained, sweat beginning to gather on their skin, Veronica felt herself teetering on the edge of her orgasm. When Logan thrust hard against her while simultaneously brushing her clit with his thumb, Veronica came with a cry. As her pleasure made her shake within his arms, Veronica lifted her head to kiss his collarbone before shakily confessing, “I’ve never loved anyone like I love you either.”

His orgasm hit him suddenly and Logan was lost. As he buried his face in her throat, furiously trying to draw oxygen into his lungs, Logan tried to blink back the tears that were starting to return. How could he have thought that only one time with Veronica would be enough?

* * *

Later, as Logan navigated the boat back into the marina, Veronica sat on the deck, staring aimlessly out into the dark. When they were safely back into The Sun Dancer’s slip, she turned to him, a single tear trailing down her cheek. Before she could say a word, he assured her, “I know.”

“No,” she softly argued, getting to her feet, “I don’t think you do.”

Logan studied her for a long moment before agreeing, “Maybe I don’t.”

Veronica carefully stepped off of the boat, the night air chilling her to the bone. As she turned to face him, she saw that the mask he had worn earlier that night was in place. It was almost as if what he had said earlier was true; the boat was an entirely different world.

“Have fun with Duncan and Lilly this weekend.”

Heart breaking, Veronica nodded.

* * *

**Lesson the Sixth: Always Watch for Flares**

“You look totally hot in that bikini, Veronica,” Lilly informed her best friend as they lied on the deck of the Kane yacht. “Duncan isn’t going to know what hit him tonight.”

Veronica self-consciously tugged at the emerald green suit before shrugging. “I don’t think I’m going to do it, Lil.”

Twisting her head around so fast that her sunglasses fell off of her head, Lilly gasped, “What?!”

Avoiding her gaze, Veronica lied, “I just don’t think I’m ready, you know? Duncan’s not pressuring me, so why should I force it?”

Rolling her eyes, Lilly sighed, “Veronica, you don’t know _anything_ about guys. If you don’t have sex with them, they’re not gonna stick around. Look, if there is one thing I know, it’s men, and men only want to be around someone who knows what they’re doing in bed and does it often. Take Logan for example.”

“Logan?” Veronica echoed, hoping her voice didn’t waver.

“Yeah, Logan is a total horndog. All the boy wants is sex. You can lead him around like a puppy if you suck his dick well enough. Like, okay, he’s not that great in bed and he’s always trying to be, like, ‘make love’ but he’s decent enough at it. And he’s Logan _Echolls_ so that’s a good name value.”

“Name value?”

Lilly looked at her in disbelief. “Oh, c’mon, Veronica! You’re telling me that you’re not with Duncan cuz our dad’s a billionaire? Sure, you might like him, but Daddy Warbucks certainly isn’t a hardship. It’s all about name recognition. And if you want to keep the name brand, you’ve gotta put in the grunt work, emphasis on grunt.” Replacing her sunglasses atop her nose, she added, “It’s every girl’s burden to bear.”

“And that burden _is_ …”

Lilly scoffed. “Sex, Veronica.”

“Sex is a burden?”

“You do what you gotta do.” Reaching for the suntan lotion, she added, “Hey, I forgot to tell you the big news.”

Already uneasy with the conversation, Veronica prompted, “Hmm?”

“Logan came crawling back last night.”

Horror shot through her so fast that Veronica thought she might vomit. “Really?”

“He was stinking drunk, of course, but he said that he was sorry, that he wanted to make sure that things were the way they were supposed to be. I forgave him, but gave him a guilt trip, so I figure that’s worth, at least, a piece of jewelry. I invited him to come along but he was all weird about it. Maybe he and the Donut had a fight.”

Closing her eyes so that Lilly couldn’t see the tears pooled there, she squeaked out, “Maybe.”

* * *

Veronica had never really been a big believer in revenge. Her father had always taught her that justice was what was important; revenge was for people that didn’t want what was right but what felt like the easiest route to hurt the person who hurt them. Keith Mars believed in justice; Veronica was starting to see the benefits of revenge.

Except as she lied in Duncan’s bed, Duncan slobbering on her neck, his hands clumsily stumbling across the planes of her body, she didn’t feel vindicated. She didn’t want to have sex with Duncan, didn’t want to give herself to him in that way, but she wanted to hurt Logan. The pain that had seared her heart at Lilly’s revelation that they had reunited after she had given him her virginity was unlike anything she had ever felt. It didn’t matter that she had been the one to insist that it was only one night, that she couldn’t leave Duncan; it still hurt. She wanted Logan to feel that pain, to know what it was like to be easily replaced, to not matter. 

Yet as Duncan began to lower her underwear, Veronica began to panic. Thrashing her lower body, she began to sputter, “I’m sorry, Duncan, please stop, I don’t wanna…”

Duncan immediately pulled back, breathing hard. Brushing hair away from his sweaty forehead, he panted, “Is something wrong?”

_You’re not Logan_. “I’m not ready, Duncan. I’m sorry.”

Confusion folded his face. “But…”

Drawing her shirt over her head, Veronica prompted, “But what?”

“Well, Lilly said that you wanted this, that you thought I was going too slowly. She said you wanted this trip to be…the one where we did this.”

Veronica felt her stomach clench with anger. “Lilly told me that _you_ wanted to have sex on this trip.”

Realization finally dawning on him, Duncan scoffed. “Typical Lilly, right? She was fucking with us.” Flopping onto his back, he declared, “I’ll talk to her, tell her this wasn’t cool.”

Veronica nodded before brushing a kiss against his lips and slipping back down the hall to her room, hatred for her best friend burning so brightly inside her that she wasn’t sure she would ever forgive Lilly.

* * *

No one knew that Veronica sobbed in her room that night, that she cursed the lesson she had gotten. She might not have wanted to hurt Duncan, that was true; but at the end of the day, when all was said and done, neither she nor Logan could ever escape Lilly Kane. Until the day she died, Lilly Kane would be the one who controlled the universe, who laid out the relationships and the way things were supposed to be, and Veronica wanted to scream at her role in it all. 

After all, for as long as Veronica stayed with Duncan, Lilly would stay with Logan, because Lilly knew Logan better than he knew himself, and she had known about his feelings for Veronica long before he did. _That_ was the lesson Veronica should’ve learned: you can’t beat Lilly Kane. 


End file.
